Favorite Things: Months 1-3

Now that were are 12 weeks into this whole baby business, I thought I'd share some of the things that we have used and loved for these first few months.  If not to help other people, but to remind myself if baby two should ever come around...

Fisher Price Love U Zoo Swing

I can't even tell you how lost in the world we would have been without this swing.  It took David a couple tries to warm up to it, but once he did he took nearly every nap for the first 10 weeks of his life in this swing. It rocks both like a normal swing and also side to side. David mostly preferred the traditional swing direction and loved watching the mobile, listening to the lullaby's and looking at his reflection in the mirror ball. Now that he's older the seat sits up a bit so I attach some toys to the tray and bring it into the kitchen so he can swing and watch me cook. Life. Saver. I will truly be sad when he's too big for it or no longer likes it.


Miracle Blanket

I've written about my love of the miracle blanket before, but man I love it.  I still kick myself for not trying it again before things were totally out of control, but I'm so glad I finally did. I was terrible at swadding with regular blankets and he could totally wiggle out of the velcro ones, but since this one pins his arms down, there's no escaping! It might look like the "baby straight-jacket" but he never fusses when he's in it and usually calms right down. If you ever find yourself thinking "my baby doesn't like to be swaddled". I urge you to just try this for a couple nights. I am SO sad that he appears to be outgrowing it, but I knew he'd have to learn to sleep with his arms free eventually.

Dr. Brown's Formula Pitcher

Yes, we formula feed.  Since we do, bottle making takes up a chunk of our day. Those formula makers are tricky too, they make the scoops in 2 ounce portions, so whenever David is drinking odd numbered ounces (he's drinking 5 oz bottles now) we'd be throwing away a whole ounce of formula per bottle if we were making them one at a time. That's a ton of money down the drain!  With this pitcher we can mix nearly 28 ounces at a time and store it in the fridge, then when it's time to eat we just pour what we need! Perfect!  Highly, highly recommended for anyone that formula feeds!



Munchkin High Speed Bottle Warmer

When I was pregnant, everything I read said bottle warmers were a waste of money and babies shouldn't need their bottle warm. Well since we started making our bottles in the pitcher and they were kept in the fridge I really hated the thought of giving David cold formula. We tried dropping the bottles in a mug of hot water for a few minutes, but our water from the tap takes forever to heat up, I didn't want to mess with the microwave and when you have a screaming infant on our shoulder, time is ticking. This bottle warmer heats a bottle in less than 90 seconds (which at times still feels like an eternity) but it has made our lives so much easier and I think the warm milk helps settle David when he's really worked up.  Plus it has a neat attachment you can use to sanitize binkies!

Summer Infant Flat Screen Video Monitor

I was on the fence about getting a video monitor. Turns out I love it. However, I mostly have to keep the video portion off. I've found that when it's on, I get all kinds of crazy. I think every move is him waking up and find myself sitting there staring at him, just waiting for something to happen.  Usually I turn the video off or just use the hand held audio one.  It picks up sound really well and the lights let me know when he's crying when I'm doing something to where I can't hear like running on the treadmill or washing dishes. It is nice to be able to click on the video and see what he's doing through. It saves me a lot of trips into his room to check on him.

Nuk Pacifier

I had a ton of different pacifiers (or binkies as we call them) when David was born. I'd heard babies could be picky and that turned out be true. This is the one that he picked as his favorite.  We have a bunch of them so there's always one close by to grab. I still kind of hope he finds his thumb pretty soon so he can self-soothe, but I have a feeling he's gonna be a binky baby.  As long as he doesn't use one as long as I did (way too long) I'm alright with it. We also use Nuk bottles. We like' em.





Homedics SoundSpa Lullaby Sound Machine

Ah, white noise.  Where would we be without it?  Zach and I can't sleep without a fan on so we figured the little one would like some background noise too. We use this one on the "rain" setting.  It's on every time he's in his crib. I think it also helps drown out some of the outside sounds (like our noisy neighbors and barking dogs) and helps cue him in that it's time to sleep. It has a timer, but we let it go all night. I do wish it just had a "fan" or "white noise" setting instead of the droppy rain sounds, but it works. Oh and the projector totally broke after a couple uses. Kind of bummed, but oh well.



Tiny Love Mobile

Let's just cut right to the chase. This thing is hideous. It doesn't go with his nursery "theme", it's totally bright and really obnoxious looking.... and that's the point.  I was pretty anal when researching mobiles. I knew babies needed bright colors and bold contrasts to engage them and this is the one that kept coming up the winner in the reviews.  I guess the Tiny Love people know what they are doing because David loves this thing.  We don't use it for bedtime normally, but whenever I need about 15 minutes to do something like fold laundry or get the diaper bag ready, I lay him under this and he just stares and kicks and is completely mesmerized.  If he's fussy in the middle of naptime I'll turn it on and the shapes that move around click every few seconds and I think it totally soothes him back to sleep.  Plus it plays classical music. We like that.

Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker

Another life saver. This sits on our kitchen counter. I keep the kickstand up so I can just pop him in the seat any time I need to do something like feed the dogs, eat breakfast, go to the restroom, let the dogs out or get a bottle ready. It vibrates, has a fun little toy bar and is really deep so he has plenty of room to grow into it. When it is in "rocker" mode it sits him up a little more so he can watch me cook or do dishes. We also use it when we eat so he can see us. Love this thing. I hope he likes it as a toddler rocker too.


Honorable Mention: 
-My cell phone - Wow. Who knew how much time I'd have to surf Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest during late night feedings?! What on EARTH did people do to stay awake before smart phones?? Seriously!
-Our Lazyboy Recliner- I am SO glad we got that thing. It might be big and kind of ugly, but I have spent hours upon hours in that thing holding David through naps, rocking him to sleep and even pulling some all-nighters back in the early days. Not to mention the fact that I practically lived in that thing during the last couple months of my pregnancy. So glad we have it.
- Yoga pants-  I think this is pretty obvious.
- Granola Bars & Diet Coke - There were several days where I lived on these two things alone.

And that's it for now. I'm sure I forgot a bunch of stuff and will smack myself after I push "publish" but perhaps I'll just catch them next time. For now, it's time for bed!

David is 11 Weeks Old!

David continues to grow and change!  I feel like he's a totally different baby every day! 

The biggest news is sleep!  He's now sleeping at night exclusively in his crib (hope I didn't just jinx that!) He still gets up one or two times a night, but its generally pretty easy to get him back to sleep.  A couple times he's pulled out a 7 hour stretch, but we usually average about 5 hour stretches. I am definitely not complaining!  Now naptime? That's another story.  He is not a big fan of napping in his crib.  I usually get him down for about 20 to 30 minutes then he's back up.  I know he's tired because then he'll sleep in my arms for a good two hours!  While I absolutely LOVE holding him, I know I can't do it all the time, so I've been trying to be a little more persistent about putting him in the crib.  Right now it's working! The only reason I'm able to type this blog is because he's sleeping!! Plus I already worked out for 40 minutes AND took a shower! It's a miracle!!

He's more and more alert everyday too!  Just in the last couple days he's started to actually bat at some of his toys and grab on to a blanket or soft lovey when I put in on his lap. Adorable! The other night when Zach was talking to him he kept reaching for his face!  He LOVES his dad!! Oh my goodness, does he!

 His favorite spot to hang out is still his changing table.  He will lay there and just smile and kick and has even started "talking" to his best friend - a picture of a cow - every time he's up there. Even in the middle of the night. It makes diaper changes a lot more fun!

How am I doing? Alright. My maternity leave is over half gone now. I have really mixed emotions about it. I didn't think I'd miss work as much as I do. I always had lofty dreams of being a stay at home mom, and while it's not even an option for us, I just don't know if I could do it.  Don't get me wrong, I love being home with him and I'm cherishing every single second, but a part of me misses getting dressed and driving somewhere and doing something.  Then I think about dropping him off at daycare and feel sick to my stomach. So yeah, mixed emotions. I still have two more months to go (Thank You Hallmark!) but I need to start updating my resume (why I did not do this before leaving, I do not know) because while I'm guaranteed a job back, they couldn't hold my position so I need to get that all spiffed up because I'm sure whatever jobs are open, the manager is going to want to see my resume anyway.  Sigh.

I've been trying to work out more often. I'm finally starting to drop more weight. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that all the Christmas candy is finally gone (heh!) and I don't have time to eat big meals.  So yay! I still have a long ways to go, but I'm pretty happy with where I am so far! I am SO thankful that Zach got me a treadmill for my birthday. I can't even imagine what I'd do if I didn't have that!! We've both really loved having it for a quick workout whenever we have a few minutes! Total life-saver!

Sorry the pictures aren't the best. I've been bad about getting out the "big camera" so these are all taken with my camera phone.

OH! Here's a video I got of David playing with his first real toy!  At first I thought it was a fluke and he was just waving his arms, but no, it appears he was really playing with it, and having a GREAT time! (please do yourself a favor and mute this video. I need to learn to shut my trap when taking videos. I am so annoying! Ha!)

David is Two Months Old

 Look at that big boy! 

Here we are at two months old!  I finally feel like we are exiting the "newborn" phase of things and entering into full on babyhood.  I won't lie, the first month and a half were super hard. Up until he was about 6-7 weeks old, all that child did was cry or sleep.  I was starting to feel like I'd never figure it out and then slowly everything has been coming together nicely. 

The most important thing we've discovered is the power of the swaddle!  We tried swaddling when we got home from the hospital but he seemed to really hate it and would scream and cry even after giving it a few minutes.  Then after several nights of watching him flail his arms around every time he was tired I knew we had to give it another go. Enter the Miracle Blanket.  It has changed our lives!  We wrap him up in that thing, sit down in the rocker and he's usually out in no time flat. I could just kick myself for not trying it again sooner! It has also helped him transition to his crib.  He used to hate that thing but now that he's swaddled he sleeps his first stretch in it every night (after he wakes up we bring him in our room and he naps in his swing most the time). We are going to transition to the crib full time next week, including at least two naps a day.  Hopefully.

Speaking of sleep - it's getting better. Typically bedtime starts around 8:30 or 9:00 with pajamas, a warm bottle, rocking then the crib. He will be pretty good about giving us a 4-5 hour stretch, wake to eat and then back down for another 4 hours and if we are lucky another 2-3 after that.  I'm hoping he drops that 1/2am feeding here pretty soon, but we are pretty happy regardless! He usually takes a long nap in the late afternoon and then another one in the evening then catnaps in between.

He started smiling at 6 weeks.  It is so much fun! He smiles more and more every day. He also moves his mouth like he's trying to figure out how to babble and will occasionally coo and squeak. We love it!  Right now his favorite thing to do is lay on his changing table and look at a picture of a cow on the wall.  Seriously. He will do this multiple times a day for long stretches. Sometimes he'll lay on his activity mat, or in his crib to watch his mobile or on a blanket with us on the couch, but for the most part, the changing pad is his most favorite! We just go with it!

He had his two month doctor appointment today.  He weighs 11 lbs, 12 oz (51st percentile), is 22.5 inches long (24th percentile) and his noggin is in the 60th percentile. So, he's doing great!! He holds his head up really well and his favorite way to be held is up on my shoulder so he can look around.  He got his shots and was pretty crabby when he woke up from his nap but after a good massage and warm bath he seems to be back to his old self.  Thank goodness.poor guy.

Otherwise things are going great! I love him more and more everyday and cannot wait to watch him grow and learn all sorts of new things in the next month! Oh! Sounds like someone is ready for a bottle! Till next time...

First Christmas

We were so excited to celebrate Christmas for the first time with David!  

The night before Christmas Eve was a rough one though.  The poor dude only slept 2 hours because he kept waking himself up.  We were both exhausted. Luckily on Christmas Eve I thought to bust out the swaddle again (he hated being swaddled for a long time so we gave up). It worked!  He was well rested for all the festivities!

 Christmas Eve was celebrated at my aunt and uncles house.  This was the first Christmas Eve that hasn't been at my Grandma's house so it was a little strange for all of us I think.  We had a nice time anyway. David got to debut his first "big boy" outfit! We found the cutest herringbone pants and red sweater and even though he only wore the sweater for a little bit, it was so dang cute! David was awake for a good portion of the evening and then zonked out for a short nap before becoming Mr. Fussypants before church. We weren't sure if we were going to make it to mass, but luckily he fell asleep in the car and slept all the way though church!

Yes, his hands really ARE that big. You should see the feet on this kid too!

That night David gave us the gift of sleep!  Sleeping his first 5 hour stretch!  Ahh sweet, sweet sleep... He must have known he has to sleep for Santa to come!  I celebrated by falling down the stairs in the morning. Luckily I wasn't carrying the baby, but it was quite the spill. My back still hurts! Christmas morning we packed up for the day and headed over to my parents house for breakfast and gifts. He took a good nap and let us eat breakfast and then hung out under the tree while we opened gifts for a little, but soon got fussy and Grandpa had to take over! Something tells me he didn't mind though!

After my parents house we headed over to my Grandpa's house. This was the first time David was introduced to my dad's side of the family and boy howdy, are there a lot of people to meet!!!  I was really nervous about him being passed around with all the germies that usually come with a zillion grand-kids running around, but lucky for us he slept in his car seat the whole time! Everyone got to see him but from a "mom approved" distance :)  Finally we were all totally worn out so we headed back home to open our gifts and crash out for the night.  David slept for seven straight hours that night! He must have been exhausted.  He hasn't slept that long again since, but we are hoping for more to come soon!

Next up we head to my friend Kristy's for New Years Eve. We won't be staying long, but it will be nice to get out and do something. We haven't celebrated NYE in years!

David is Six Weeks Old

Six weeks already!  I have a feeling I'm going to start each update post with that sort of disbelief.  The time is really flying.

I am not exactly sure what to say that has changed since my last update, but I'm sure there's a ton.  He's still pretty much in the same routine that he's been in since we brought him home. He gets up every three hours to eat On. The. Dot.  Once in a very great while he'll sleep longer, but usually it's exactly three hours, around the clock.  I keep waiting for some longer stretches at night and hope they are coming soon... The books I have say six weeks is when they start to finally figure things out, so we'll see about that.

We are also trying to work on sleeping in the crib.  Right now he's not a fan. He sleeps in our room in the pack & play at night (very well, thankfully) and for naps he's usually in his swing (seriously, we'd be lost without that thing!) or sometimes in his little baby seat. We put him in the crib and he'll even put himself to sleep in there but without fail wakes up within an hour screaming.  We'll just keep at it, someday he'll get it.

Meals are still his favorite thing. He eats about 8 times a day and loves every second of every meal. And when it's time to eat and we are taking too long getting the bottle ready - watch out. Hangry to the max! He must get that from me...

His fifth week was a big one though.  I hosted the 10th annual "Girls Christmas" get-together. Usually we go out to eat, but since I'm not comfortable taking David out yet, I had it at my house instead. We had a great time eating appetizers and lots of sweets. David slept most the night but made sure to wake up and have a major scream-fest right before everyone left.  Luckily Zach was home from work early so he could help me out.

Then, this past Tuesday Zach and I had our first day-date since we had David.  We dropped him off at my parents and went to lunch and did some Christmas shopping. We were only gone a little over two hours, but it was nice to get out, just me and him again. And, much to my surprise, it wasn't THAT hard leaving David.  I knew he was in good hands (and would be sleeping most the time...)

The next few weeks are big ones! His first Christmas is coming up and I'm looking forward to it so much!  I hope he's in the spirit because he's got lots of places to go!  Church, Grandma and Grandpa's, and then both Great-Grandparents houses!  It should be fun!  Then the next week he has his two month appointment (TWO MONTHS!) and his shots.  I'm not looking forward to that, but I am looking forward to seeing how much he's grown.  Wow. Time is just slipping by.  I am SO thankful that I don't have to go back to work until the end of March!  I know it will be here before I know it though.... Till then I'm going to soak up every day with him!

David is One Month Old

Hooray! We made it a whole month! Look at us go! 

It's hard to believe that a whole month has already passed us by.  The days are absolutely flying!  People keep asking if we've developed a "routine" yet and I can't help but laugh. There is no such thing as a routine with a newborn I've found out.  I've tried, oh yes, I've tried but he kind of runs the show around here right now. Just when we feel like we've figured it out, he throws us a curve ball. Always keeping it interesting, that David!

3 weeks

He spent most of the first two and a half weeks of his little life asleep. He would sleep for hours if we let him, but we were instructed to wake him to eat every 3 hours, so we did.  And boy does he like to eat!!  He will throw an absolute fit when he's hungry but once we sit down and put on his bib he knows food is on the way and is happy as a clam the whole time he's eating.  The past week and a half he's been awake a LOT more.  Mostly at night.  Of course, right?  I don't really think he's got his days and nights totally mixed up, but he seems to wake up on his own more often at night than during the day.  We'll have good nights were he sleeps for 3 hours at a time, then other nights where he's up on the hour, every hour.  I'm having a hard time believing he'll EVER sleep longer than three hours, really. But at the same time, no matter how tired I am or what crazy hour of the night it is, I am soaking up every single moment of cuddle time I can get right now, because that won't last forever and I love it so much.

4 Weeks

I'd love to report all of his "developmental milestones" but honestly, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be watching for (book suggestions welcome!).  He's really good at tummy time and has awesome head control already (we think anyway) but he's also extremely wiggly. The pediatrician said we need to be careful with him because he's so strong and so reflexive right now.  She asked if I felt him move a ton when I was pregnant and was totally shocked when I told her I hardly felt him move at all. I guess he was saving up all his energy!  He can already wiggle his way around his crib, so because of this he quickly outgrew his cradle. He still sleeps in his pack-n-play in our room at night though.  He loves looking at the big windows in the living room, the lights in the kitchen and his blue curtains in his bedroom.  He loves being read to most of the time and is a big fan of his George Winston "December" CD of piano solos that we listen to over, and over, and over again every single night when we rock him to sleep. Overall he seems fairly happy and content but definitely has is majorly fussy moments.  He is a baby afterall :)

As for me? I'm doing alright.  This "mom" business is hard. I feel like I do nothing all day, but at the same time I feel incredibly busy. It's very strange.  I've had a really great recovery though. Despite the PUPP's (which is now mostly gone, thank God!) I have felt back to normal since about the first week!  I am so thankful that I healed so fast! I've lost two-thirds of my pregnancy weight so far and have just started going back to the gym. Oh wow, I've missed that. It felt SO good to put on my headphones, crank up the music and really push myself again.  I hope to drop the rest of the weight fairly quickly. I hardly have time to snack like I used to, so that should help.  I've also quickly realized the importance of getting out of the house every so often by myself. I feel really guilty doing it, but both Zach and I realize I need that time to get dressed, do my hair, get out amongst adults and feel normal for a while.  I am very grateful that Zach is able to look after David while I do that.  Sometime soon we are going to have my parents watch David while Zach and I go out Christmas shopping and to dinner. I'm excited and nervous at the same time!  We need to do it though.

So yeah. One month down! We are so in love with the little guy and can't wait to see what the next month has in store!

Bump Round-Up

I already get a kick out of looking back on all these pictures.  I remember taking the very first one and thinking "oh my god, I'm so fat!!!"  Ha! HaHaHa!!

I had a really fun time taking the pictures each week and I'm SO glad I did. As much as pregnancy was hard on me and not the most fun I've ever had, it just blows my mind that all that work created something so precious and perfect.  I guess it's true when everybody says "I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat..."